Need help and advice on traveling with extended family!

[susy]

We are going May3-5 (fri-sun) and staying at CBR. It will be myself, DH, 4yo DS and my MIL, FIL, and SIL are coming along.

Any suggestions for helping our trip go smoothly will be greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[BethC]

We had a similar trip once with our family of four, my parents and my sister. The only way I knew we would all get along was if we DID NOT stay together the entire trip. LOL!!

I planned our trip like it was just for our family and then I would ask my parents and sister if they wanted to join us for dinner here or a character breakfast there. I explained that we had activites planned that we wanted to do and they could join us if they wanted or they could go their own way but we were not going to alter our plans for them (ie: I say we're going to the Magic Kingdom and my dad says we should go to Epcot instead. Feel free to go to Epcot Dad, but WE are going to the MK today). I didn't want them following us around because they felt they had to and then complaining because they wished they were somewhere else.

It worked out really well. A lot of times we would start out together in the mornings and then split up and do our own things and meet up later for dinner or that evening at the pool. It was the perfect balance of sharing WDW with our extended family and still enjoying OUR vacation.

This is just my plan based on the personalities in my family. I know all families are different, so you may want to step back and take a look at the dynamics in your family. Are you all going to be able to stand being with each other 24/7, or do you need to plan some individual time away? I'm sure there are several families who spent the entire trip together and had a wonderful time, just as there are others who wished they had come by themselves and didn't invite their extended family after all! LOL!

Have a great trip!

 

[susy]

Thank you, Beth!!!!

I kind of had the same idea. My MIL said she will just go along with the program, but we all know that can change. We are used to doing sit-down dinners , getting to the parks early, taking long breaks , and doing basically what makes our son happy. Anyone else have any suggestions????

 

[3kidsmom]

I haven't been to WDW with my family (first trip next month!), but every couple of years we all stay at DVC Hilton Head - my parents, siblings and their families. It is the best week of the year, and suprisingly enough we all get along very well on vacation. (we do pretty well the rest of the year, which helps too ) We just decide ahead of time that we are all on our own, and can do what is best for our family. If somebody joins us, great, but nobody has too. My parents usually go out at least one night on their own, my brother always has his own agenda, and we usually all end up together more than we are apart. But nobody feels guilty if they do something away from the rest. It's the only way to all get along.

My parents are meeting us at WDW for part of our week. This will be great, since they want to see the kid's reaction to everything, and having been there before, they can help us a lot. But they've made it clear that this is OUR vacation, and we get to make the plans. If they don't like them, they are free to do something else. Just remember it is your vacation, and you need to plan according to your family. I'm willing to bet your inlaws will agree to most things, and the memories your children will have sharing the magic with their grandparents will be the best.